This is interesting.  Coming soon will be a papal letter from B16 to the Catholics of China.  The Communist government has told Chinese priests and laity to react to the letter with calmness, no matter what it says.

HONG KONG (CNS) — Chinese government officials told about 80 Chinese Catholic bishops, priests and lay Catholics called to a late-June meeting to receive an imminent pastoral letter from Pope Benedict XVI “with calmness.”

…

The meeting’s main agenda was to discuss a series of celebrations in July to mark the 50th anniversary of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association. Church sources told UCA News that the participants discussed June 29 how the church could strengthen its development, especially how the patriotic association could better fulfill a bridging and bonding function between the church and the government.

One source said most participants expressed a hope that the papal letter would be beneficial to the church’s relations with the government and society in China and would also promote the unity of the registered and unregistered communities within the country’s Catholic Church. The bishops who attended the Beijing meeting have registered with the government.

Get it?  The Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association is the communist party’s religious wing, trying to convince the citizenry that if they “register” then they’ll be able to participate in the Catholic Church (as approved by the government) without persecution.  Understandably, some folks have chosen not to register. Rather disturbing though, is

When China began suppressing the church in the late 1950s, it established the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, whose members initially were asked to reject ties with the Vatican. Many of the Catholics who joined indicated they chose to cooperate with the government and work within its restrictions, but remained loyal to the Vatican. Today, most bishops ordained with government approval but without papal approval have quietly had their jurisdiction legitimized by the Holy See.

Wonder what the letter will say?  If it’s anything like some of B16’s other statements, perhaps it’s a total rejection of the patriotic assocation.  We shall see.

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